Where Harris has more support in N.Y. than Biden did, how N.Y. reacted to Walz

And a state office focused on civics has a new leader.

Good afternoon — it’s Tuesday and Farmworker Appreciation Day.

TUESDAY, AUGUST 6, 2024

TODAY’S CAPCON:

• New York voters like Harris more than they liked Biden, according to a new poll released Tuesday. We’ll show you what’s changed.

• Top newsmakers in New York called Harris’ pick for vice president both “brilliant” and driven by “antisemites.”

• A state office overseen by the lieutenant governor that’s focused on civics has its first administrator.

🌧️ Tonight’s Weather: Albany: Heavy rain, high 50s. New York City: Heavy rain, high 60s. (National Weather Service)

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(LM Otero/Associated Press)

📊 What changed: How N.Y. voters feel about Harris on the ballot against Trump

📈 The poll also measured where voters are on smartphones in schools, congestion pricing and other issues.

You never know what someone’s going to say until they say it.

But it’s safe to say that if you ask a voter anywhere in the country today if they consider this year’s election for president important, it might sound unusual if they say they don’t.

So it was no surprise to see that three-quarters of voters in New York — 74 percent — said the 2024 election would be the most important in their lifetime in a poll released by Siena College Tuesday.

That’s not new. Voters have shared similar sentiments throughout the election cycle.

• Like how 62 percent said last year democracy in the U.S. was at risk, per a poll from the Associated Press.

But something else is new: Vice President Kamala HARRIS has replaced incumbent President Joseph R. BIDEN as their party’s nominee for president.

And that’s a welcome change for certain groups of voters in New York, according to the Siena College poll.